


trust you will see his sign

by kcc



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie is a Son of Poseidon, Established Relationship, Fluff, I have no idea how to tag, M/M, Mentioned Sonia Kaspbrak, Mentioned injuries, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie is a Son of Apollo, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, also they’re like 23 here they are NOT kids, eddie loves richie’s dad bod, even though i don't think it's mentioned, richie big, some mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23253907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcc/pseuds/kcc
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak finally gets to move out of the Hermes cabin. As a treat.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	trust you will see his sign

**Author's Note:**

> hi y'all! i am definitely not a writer but i couldn't get this idea out of my head so. yeah.
> 
> this is part of our losers x percy jackson au that i made with @crybabytozier, @downtoclowntown, @1990seddie, @fvckrichie, and @trans_ekaspbrak over on twitter
> 
> i hope you enjoy this nonsense i've created
> 
> xx ken (@richies_nips)
> 
> p.s. gods bless the lightning thief cast album, that shit slaps - title from “their sign”

After the Battle of Manhattan, the Losers regrouped back at Camp Half-Blood, relieved that they were all safe and sound and back home. There was a long road ahead, grieving those lost during the Titan War and following through on their side of the bargains made between the gods and Percy Jackson, but that was fine by them. They had time.

Eddie tried not to dwell on what was lost. He had spent the better part of four years hating his former friend, resenting him for turning against the gods and trying to raise the Titan Lord. But then to find out he was a hero at the very end, that Luke Castellan wasn’t fully gone? That cut deeper than any knife wound ever could have. To know that it might have been possible to save him sooner had Eddie just _tried_ -

But he couldn’t think like that. What’s done is done. And Eddie wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he realized he had failed to save his oldest friend.

One week after the end of the war, Richie and Eddie were on a walk together, hands loosely intertwined as they strolled along the shore of Long Island Sound, the setting sun casting a golden hue over everything.

Richie was rambling on about something or other - Eddie wasn’t paying attention, he just liked listening to Richie’s voice - when suddenly he was being yanked towards the water.

“Eds, come on! Let’s go for a swim!” Richie exclaimed, letting go of Eddie’s hand to reach up behind himself and pull off his t-shirt, the Hawaiian shirt he had been wearing over it discarded already.

Eddie watched as Richie toed off his birkenstocks, pulling the socks off after and leaving them strewn on the sand. Eddie eyed Richie’s bare back, the broad expanse of his shoulders and the softness of his love handles, as his boyfriend splashed through the shallows of the ocean, his movements slowing down the deeper he got.

Richie stopped when the water was about waist-high on him, dunking himself under the water for a few seconds before coming back up for air. He shook his head like a wet dog, water droplets spraying every which way before he turned around in confusion to see Eddie fully dressed on the sand still.

“Aren’t you coming in, Eds? Water’s probably not going to mutate you into a fish-monster,” Richie grinned at him, showing off that stupid overbite that was stupidly attractive for some reason. “I mean, I don’t know for sure, I’m no son of Poseidon, but it’s definitely less polluted than the East River.”

But Eddie just stared at him, the way the sun highlighted the drops of water on his shoulders and pecs, his curls now plastered to his forehead and his glasses almost impossible to see through. Richie stood back up to his full height, a look of concern plastered to his face.

“Eddie? Are you okay?”

Eddie blinked and looked away, breaking their eye contact before muttering a response.

“I, uhh. I don't know how to swim,” he mumbled out, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. Eddie kept his head ducked for a few more moments before looking up to see the widest shit-eating grin stretched across Richie’s face.

“You don’t know how to swim? Eddie Spaghetti you are almost twenty-three years old and you _never learned how to swim_?” Richie let out a loud cackle before starting to wade back to the shore. He marched right up to Eddie.

“What are you doing?” Eddie demanded, backing up a few steps as a grinning Richie walked towards him, arms outstretched for a hug. “Back off numbnuts you’re soaking wet, I am _not_ hugging you right now!”

Quicker than Eddie could react, Richie lurched forward and enveloped his boyfriend in a tight embrace, soaking Eddie’s tank top and shorts through and dripping onto the tops of his sneakers. Eddie let out a disgusted sigh, resigning himself to his fate and twining his arms around Richie’s middle and hugging him back.

Eddie took a breath. “I never learned how to swim because my mom wouldn’t let me,” he breathed out. He wasn’t sure Richie heard him at first, but then he felt him go rigid, his thumbs that had been rubbing gentle circles into Eddie’s back stilling at the mention of Eddie’s mother.

“She- um. She said I wasn’t strong enough.” Eddie gave a little cough. “Said swimming was dangerous and that _sick little boys like me aren’t allowed to swim_ , so I just. Never learned.” Eddie shrugged a little, not wanting to dwell on the past.

Besides, he knew now that he was strong. He had been at Camp Half-Blood since he was thirteen years old, training and fighting. He _knew_ he was strong.

Still, his mother’s voice was in the back of his head at all times, making him question if he really belonged there.

Most of the time, he could ignore that voice, shove it down and repress it until he couldn’t hear it anymore. At least temporarily.

“Eddie baby. This is a summer camp,” Richie said after a long pause and a deep breath. Eddie furrowed his brow and took his forehead off of Richie’s damp chest, looking up at him.

“Yeah, so? What the fuck does that have to do with my mom?” Richie laughed a little again, this time softer and not at Eddie’s expense.

“Soooo -“ he dragged out the syllable - “we have a canoe lake. And the ocean. And you never thought to ask someone to teach you how to swim?” Richie asked, incredulous.

Eddie started up at him blankly for a second.

“Uhhh-“ he said, smartly. “No?”

At that, Richie burst into a loud guffaw, separating from the hug and doubling over. He clapped his hands a few times, tears streaming out of his eyes he was laughing too hard.

“Hey, dickbag. You done laughing at me?” Eddie demanded, scowling.

“I’m sorry! It’s not that funny it’s just.” Richie wipes his eyes. “Eddie. Do you remember my first summer here?”

Eddie furrowed his brow in confusion. “Of course I do. I hated you because you wouldn’t shut the fuck up. I wanted to leave you in the woods overnight for the monsters to eat.”

“First of all, that’s adorable. You had a crush on me!”

“Where the fuck did you get that idea from? I literally just said I wanted you to get eaten by monsters.”

“And second of all,” Richie continued, ignoring Eddie’s interruption, “do you not remember that canoeing lesson? We were paired together and I didn’t stop picking on you, so you stood up to try to push me out of the boat and we capsized.”

“I distinctly remember you rocking the canoe on purpose to get me riled up,” Eddie said, jabbing his pointer finger into Richie’s soft chest. “And what’s your point?”

“You didn’t drown!” Richie had a wide grin and he held his arms out wide to the sides, in a _ta-da_ pose, like this was a valid point to make. Eddie just pressed his lips together in a line.

“Dude, of course I didn’t drown, there were dozens of people around us and the water is, like, three feet deep. I could literally touch the bottom,” Eddie made a chopping motion with his right hand, cutting across his left palm to punctuate his point. Richie grinned at the familiar motion before grabbing Eddie’s hands in his. Richie’s massive hands engulfed Eddie’s _normal human sized_ hands as he rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Eddie’s hands.

“Let me teach you.”

Eddie jerked back a little in shock. “What?”

“Let me teach you how to swim,” Richie repeated tugging on Eddie’s hands to pull him back to Richie’s chest. “I happen to be an excellent swimmer, and I’ve got lots of patience-“ Eddie scoffed at that - “shut up - and I won’t make fun of you. Scout’s honor.” Richie raised his right hand, taking Eddie’s left with it.

“You absolutely were _not_ a Boy Scout, don’t give me that bullshit,” Eddie grumbled. He thought for a moment. On the one hand, he knew he could trust Richie, he would never let anything bad happen to Eddie. On the other, it would be mortifying to learn how to swim at twenty-three years old and being taught by his sasquatch _moron_ of a boyfriend: he’s made it this far in life without the skill, he can probably make it the last couple years of his life expectancy - demigods don’t usually live very long.

Eddie heaved a sigh and Richie grinned stupidly, knowing he had given in.

“Fine, asshole. You can teach me to swim.” Richie _whoop_ ed at that in excitement. “BUT- absolutely no jokes about pasta and water or whatever.”

Richie’s grin was wild. “Whatever you say, Spagheds.” He yanked on Eddie’s wrists, tugging him towards the surf. “Come on, let's do this!”

“Hold the fuck up, i’m still wearing shoes and shit.” Eddie pulled his hands back, bending over to shuck off his sneakers and socks, tucking the latter into his shoes for safekeeping before yanking his tank top over his head and folding it neatly and placing it in the sand.

His chest and back were covered with scars; old ones sustained during training over the years that had healed to pale white lines and some fresher ones from the Titan War, still red and angry-looking. There was one in particular - a ridged line across his abdomen from the wound that nearly killed him early in the Battle of Manhattan, when the Williamsburg Bridge collapsed. If it hadn’t been for the nectar and ambrosia and the quick actions of those around him, he might not have survived.

When Eddie looked up, Richie was watching him with a fond expression, making Eddie’s heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

Though he had never said it, Eddie knew Richie was in love with him. He just wasn’t sure he was the right person for Richie to trust with his whole heart. Eddie wasn’t nice. He wasn’t patient. He wasn’t _good_ in the way Richie was, the way Richie _thought_ Eddie was. Eddie knew he didn’t deserve Richie, but he was too selfish to let him go.

Eddie broke their eye contact and cleared his throat. “So.”

Richie grinned. “So,” he mimicked back in what Eddie supposed was an impression of his voice. Eddie rolled his eyes and looked out at the sea, raising his hand to the bead necklace around his neck, fingering the beads mindlessly.

This was his tenth summer. Ten summers, ten beads. Richie came to camp when they were seventeen - extraordinarily late for demigods. When fascinated campers had asked him how he managed on his own that long, he had just shrugged and made a joke. No one saw the dark shadow that passed over his features. Except Eddie.

Eddie glanced back over at Richie, who was already looking at him, watching as Eddie played with one of the clay beads. Eddie glanced down, realizing it was the bead from four summers ago - the trident. The same summer Percy Jackson showed up.

Eddie dropped his hand and marched towards the water, determined. His mother told him he was weak, that the ocean was dangerous and scary and that he should _never_ under _any circumstances_ go into it. Well, who cares what she said. Eddie was strong. He’s killed monsters and fought Titans. He can survive a little water.

Eddie registered in the back of his mind that there were other voices, campers who had also decided on a sunset trip along the beach, but he blocked them out. He focused on the knowledge that Richie was right there with him, that Richie would never let anything bad happen to him, that even though he doesn’t need it, that Richie would _protect him_.

Eddie took a deep breath and strode proudly into the water, letting it lap across first his ankles, then his knees, climbing higher and higher on his body until he was submerged to his chest, the scare on his stomach under the water. He closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of the waves lapping gently over his body. The water was warmer than he expected, almost like bath water.

There was a sharp intake of breath from behind him, and Eddie whipped his head around to see Richie had waded in after him and he was _staring_ at Eddie. Not his face, Richie was staring very intently at Eddie’s stomach, at the scar. Eddie furrowed his brow.

“Hey, Rich. Everything okay there? Why are you staring?” Eddie asked, unsure. It’s not like Richie had never seen the scar before - he was the one who found Eddie, half-dead in the rubble - and it _certainly_ wasn’t the first time he had seen Eddie shirtless.

Suddenly, a warm, tingly sensation started in Eddie’s stomach, heating him up from the inside and spreading to his skin. He glanced down at his own body, sucking in an involuntary gasp at the sight.

Because where the rough, bumpy scar from getting impaled should be was smooth skin and a white line that was fading as he watched until he could no longer see it.

“Hey, Eds, you didn’t tell me you were a sorcery and a demigod,” Richie said in disbelief. Eddie dragged his gaze up to his boyfriend’s face, the expression on Richie’s face a bizarre mixture of awe, affection, and amusement. “Because I feel like you should have told me I was getting two for the price of one, I mean that’s just common decency.”

“Shut the fuck up, I’m not a goddamn sorceror,” Eddie snapped back without heat. He looked back down at his body, the smaller cuts and bruises and scars on his arms and hips were completely healed, not a single trace left behind that they were even there in the first place. “How did this…” he trailed off.

Suddenly, a memory resurfaced in his mind and he groaned, long and low. A summer night in early June. A game of capture-the-flag. A hellhound. A twelve-year-old boy standing in a creek, a green glow above his head.

“You’ve gotta be _fucking kidding_ ,” Eddie moaned out, tipping his head backwards. Sure enough, right above his head was a glowing translucent trident, it’s three prongs glimmering in the fading sunlight.

Eddie was vaguely aware of the small crowd on the beach, some of whom were fucking _kneeling_ for him like he was a fucking king or some shit. He scowled at them before turning his attention back to Richie, trying to gauge his reaction. But Richie wasn’t looking at the glowing trident, he was just looking at Eddie’s face, pure happiness written clearly all over it. Eddie melted at the sight and lunged forward.

Richie bent down instinctively, meeting Eddie halfway in a bruising kiss, twining his arms around Eddie’s middle and tugging him closer. Eddie melted into Richie, feeling the press of the soft stomach against his abdomen. When Richie opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, Eddie pulled away gently, conscious of the audience of younger campers watching from the beach. Richie leaned forward again, chasing his mouth.

“Rich. Not that I wouldn’t love to keep going, but there’s an audience,” Eddie murmured, nodding his chin in the direction of the beach, over Richie’s shoulder. Richie just hummed, tucking his face into Eddie’s neck, pressing a soft kiss to the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

“Hey, Eds. Is that a trident in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

Eddie shoved Richie backwards suddenly, water coming up in a wave and dousing him entirely, leaving him sputtering, spitting saltwater out. Eddie gasped, reaching out instinctively to see if he was okay, when Richie barked out a laugh.

“Oh man, Eddie. You got me so wet so quickly!”

Eddie roared, surging forward and dunking Richie under the water.

“You fucking asshole! That’s not even fucking funny! Shut your goddamn mouth, I hate you!” Eddie was shouting once he let cackling Richie back up for air. Eddie couldn’t keep the disgusted look on his face for very long, letting a wide grin spread across his face and he was soon joining Richie in a fit of laughter, clinging to each other so they didn’t fall over.

Once their laughter subsided, Richie cut an evil smirk his way before speaking again.

“You know what this means, right?” Richie asked. Eddie just looked at him apprehensively. “You have two younger brothers now.”

“Oh, fuck me!” Eddie groaned, tipping his head back. “Come on, you jackass. We should probably go talk to the spectators.” He pushed past Richie, starting to wade back to shore, when Richie’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the wrist. Eddie whirled around as best he could, the waist-high water slowing his movements.

When he turned around, he was greeted with the sight of Richie’s face, _glowing_ with adoration, and Eddie almost _cried_ at the sight of it.

“What is it?” Eddie asked.

“I’m in love with you.” Eddie’s breath hitched, but Richie kept going. “I think I’ve been in love with you since my first day at camp, when you reamed into me about trying to sit in your seat at dinner. Your face got so red and I knew instantly that I needed your attention to be on me _constantly_.” He moved his hand from Eddie’s wrist, intertwining their fingers together. “I kept trying to tell you all summer, but it was never the right time. And then you almost died and I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you, so....” He trailed off, swallowing with an audible click of his throat.

“I don’t deserve you,” Eddie whispered after a long moment, his voice a little hoarse. Eddie pulled Richie down into a kiss - he was never as good with words as Richie, but the kiss said everything for him; _Thank you for choosing me, thank you for loving me, thank you for being the family my mother never was_. He pulled back and cleared his throat. “And I love you, too, even though you just told me for the first time in front of a fucking _audience_ and I will definitely drown you in the creek later for this when there are no more witnesses.”

Eddie patted Richie’s soft chest before deciding, _fuck it, he’s in love with me_ , and pressed a kiss right over Richie’s heart.

He turned around, feeling Richie snake his arm around his waist and start guiding him towards the shore.

“Come on, Eds. Let’s meet your adoring new fans before we go to the campfire sing-a-long. I can’t wait to serenade you with fish songs.”

“You absolutely are _not_ serenading me. And what the fuck- what’s a fish song?”

“You’ll see!” Richie sing-songed, moving towards the beach more quickly.

“I’m _not_ going to see because you won’t be singing, asshole!”

“That’s what you think, Spaghetti Man.”

“Don’t call me that, you overgrown octopus.”

“You’ve been claimed as a Poseidon kid for like, five minutes and you’re already talking like one! That _seamen_ is strong!”

“Did you just- did you just try to make a pun around _semen_? Because that made no sense, dickhead.”

“You love my dickhead!”

Eddie sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, I do love you, even if you’re insufferable.” Eddie was surprised at how easily those three words came out this time, considering he had been holding them in for so long.

Richie’s brain must have short-circuited, because he was still in ankle-deep water by the time Eddie reached the crowd that had gathered on the beach. Eddie ignored the gawking faces of the younger campers, instead walking over to where he had left shoes and tank top. Groaning, he realized they didn’t bring a towel to dry off, which meant-

_Wait a goddamn second._

Eddie was perfectly dry, despite having been in the ocean not even thirty seconds ago. That was a convenient perk of being a child of the sea, he supposed.

He had finished pulling his clothes back on by the time Richie finally got his brain back online and met him on the beach.

“Hey, Eds! Does this mean you’re a waterbender now?”

**Author's Note:**

> art by @moonbafoon on twitter!!


End file.
